NOTES: Lizzy's POV. The next morning. Talks/thinks out her feelings. Sad, but NOWHERE near last chapter. Next will be Darcy's POV. I wanted to get one more in before I went to bed— I feel productive today :) four chapters— WAHOO!

Anyway, buckle up folks. The ride is just beginning— and its nowhere near over ❤️ ~Vinny

Lizzy woke up driving. Or, really, she had been awake before that, but she didn't feel conscious. There was a gap in her memory, from the time she called a taxi and went home, to the present moment.

Her hands were rigid and unbending on the steering wheel. Everything she needed for an extended stay somewhere was in the backseat. Her legs were numb. She had been pushing the speed limit for a while now.

No one else was on the road. The sun was not yet up.

The shock of it all had yet to sink in.

When it did, Lizzy had to pull over to the side of the road and put her head down on the dashboard to cry. Fuck.

What… had last night DONE to them?! They had gone in happy, and in love, and working well together, and then… it had all fallen apart. Lizzy didn't even understand what had happened. All she knew was that one minute they were fine, then the next, Fitzwilliam was being cold and snobbish and they were fighting. And then he yelled at her. In front of everyone. While she cried.

God, if he wasn't already embarrassed of her (which he was) that would do the trick.

She got out of her car, and stood out on the side of the road. The ground was dusty and dry; the no-man's land between the city and her parents. A few scrawny bushes were clawing their way up to the dying stars above.

Lizzy sat down, hugging her knees, and watched the sun peek out above the horizon. She didn't think about anything. She hurt, inside, but she didn't focus on it. She didn't focus on anything.

After 20 minutes or so of this, her phone rang. She looked at the ID to make sure it wasn't… wasn't… someone it shouldn't be. Lizzy breathed a sigh of relief, then answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hiya Lizzy," Blondie's voice said, slightly distorted by the bad signal. "Sorry to call you so early. I just knew you were heading to your folks' home, and I couldn't sleep, and I figured you'd be up."

"Yup," she said, leaning back against Violette's car she had borrowed, "I'm up. What is it?"

"Well… I.. uh.." It sounded like he was rubbing the back of his head. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Lizzy chuckled, though even to her, it sounded forced. "Look, it's… I'm fine. I'm a big girl. I've been through breakups before."

"I.. thought you guys were just on a break."

"I guess I thought so too," she said, curling up even tighter on the ground, "but then he walked away from me and didn't say anything— and then drunkenly screamed at me while I cried, publically, then asked me to marry him."

"I'm sorry, whAT?!" Blondie yelled.

"Yeah. He did."

"Oh my god."

"That was my reaction too."

"OH MY GOD!"

Lizzy held the phone a little ways away from her ear, wincing. "Can you maybe not yell directly into the speaker? It's a little early in the morning for a migraine."

"Oh. Right. Sorry." She could hear Blondie sigh heavily from the other side. "So… y'all are over then?"

"Yes. Maybe. I don't know." Lizzy kicked at a rock. "I just… I need some time to process. Maybe.. maybe we just weren't good for each other, ya know?"

There was a pause on the other end, that sounded like someone holding their tongue.

"Plus," she continued, "You.. you know that saying? 'If you can't handle me at my worst, you don't deserve me at my best?' Well, if that was Fitzwilliam's worst… I… Fuck. I don't.. I don't deserve him."

"No!"Blondie said fiercely, "You are more than deserving of Darcy at his best. What you DIDN'T deserve was to be SCREAMED AT. I mean— wh— Jesus Christ! That guy's an IDIOT!"

Lizzy would have laughed had she not burst into tears.

It was too much. It was all too much.

She loved him. Or maybe, past tense, HAD loved him. She didn't know anymore.

Blondie, meanwhile, finally got his head in the game. "Hey. Hey. I'm sorry," his voice crackled over the phone, coming across as surprisingly calm. "You probably don't want to be reminded of... it.. right now."

"Yeah," Lizzy choked out, hiccuping.

"Well.. uh… Samantha, when she has a rough day, likes to be distracted. Soooo… Do you… want to hear… uhh… some cool otter facts?"

Lizzy barked a laugh, then coughed. Her throat was closing from all the snot and tears. "Sure," she managed, between sobs, "why not."

"Okay. Um. Here we go." Blondie cleared his throat. "Did you know that.. that 90% of sea otters.. live on the, uh, Alaskan coast?"

"No," Lizzy sniffed, "I didn't know that."

"And they have the thickest fur of ANY animal— because they're a marine creature with no blubber, and they need to stay warm."

"Wow," she half-laughed, wiping at her face, "You sure know a lot about… otters."

"Yeah, well," Blondie said sheepishly, "They're my favorite animal. Oh! And they also hold hands while they sleep. They form little resting pods called 'rafts' to stay together when they do."

After about 5 more otter facts, Lizzy had calmed down enough to breathe again. "Thanks, Blondie," she whispered hoarsely.

"Don't mention it. You're a good person, Liz. I'm glad to help."

She squeezed her eyes shut. "And… before I forget… please check on Fitzwilliam."

There was a snort from the other end.

"I know, I know," Lizzy said, "We just got me off that ledge. But… well, he seemed really.. uhh… inebriated, last night. He's going to need someone to take care of him."

"Lizzy— I already said you're a good person," Blondie said, sounding almost frustrated, "You don't need to go above and beyond by helping that empty-headed son of a—"

"I know!" She shouted. Then she lowered her voice. "But… I can't just stop caring about him. God knows I'll have to eventually, but… not right now. So please. Make sure he's okay."

"Okay…," he said, slowly, drawing out the word. "Is there… anything I should tell him, when he wakes up?"

Lizzy hesitated. "Can you… not.. tell him where I work? Just for now? Because he'd probably do something rash like come see me, and… I just can't be around him right now. I need some time."

"Alright. I get you."

"But—," she added, hastily, "Tell him…" Again, she paused. Was she sure about this? Did he really deserve a second chance?

"... tell him.. I'll call when I'm ready."

"I will," Blondie affirmed softly. "Stay strong, Liz. Think about otters, and call me later."

"Okay," she almost smiled, "Will do."

Lizzy Bennet hung up the phone, and breathed out a long stream of cool air into the blossoming morning. It would be alright. It might be alright. Eventually. For now though, she just sat, and watched the sunrise. And for a moment, she almost forgot about how much it hurt just to say his name.

Fitzwilliam...